present invention relates to storage package structure
particularly to a package for storing moisture-laden articles to maintain a proper moisture content in the stored articles over an extended period of time such as in the packaging of cigarettes.
It is known in the art of packaging perishable goods of various types such as foods, electronic equipment and tobaccos to keep them either from drying out or absorbing too much moisture by utilizing substantially sealed packages. Such packaging is comparatively expensive, particularly with respect to low cost perishable articles having a short life from the time of packaging to the time of consumption.
A number of packaging structures in the tobacco art have been utilized besides sealing to maintain moisture levels in the package. A number of patents are known in the tobacco art wherein moisturized vehicles in the form of absorbent pads, such as sponges or paper, are included in a package to maintain the humidity of the tobacco. In this regard, attention is directed to U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,205,751, issued to J. J. King on Nov. 21, 1916; No. 1,249,490, issued to J. F. Prather on Dec. 11, 1917; No. 1,711,971, issued to J. W. Schulze on May 7, 1929; No. 1,954,577, issued to T. P. Reddin on Apr. 10, 1934; No. 1,967,554, issued to P. M. Gross et al on July 24, 1934; No. 1,972,118, issued to R. D. McDill on Sept. 4, 1934; No. 1,972,222, issued to P. M. Gross et al on Sept. 4, 1934; No. 1,998,683, issued to F. H. Montgomery on Apr. 23, 1935; No. 2,227,158, issued to W. H. Saul on Dec. 31, 1940; No. 2,270,603, issued to B. H. Ridder on Jan. 20, 1942; No. 2,276,217, issued to D. P. Lee on Mar. 10, 1942; No. 2,329,908, issued to C. E. Johnson on Sept. 21, 1943; No. 2,333,270, issued to A. M. Opler on Nov. 2, 1943; No. 2,368,140, issued to C. E. Johnson on Jan. 30, 1945; No. 2,443,139, issued to F. A. Krause on June 8, 1948; No. 2,452,957, issued to A. R. Sabin on Nov. 2, 1948; No. 2,497,627, issued to J. E. Pollack on Feb. 14, 1950; No. 2,505,650, issued to P. W. Rodman on Apr. 25, 1950; No. 2,522,952, issued to J. Krohn on Sept. 15, 1950; No. 2,559,297, issued to J. J. Hasbrook et al on July 3, 1951; No. 2,635,937, issued to H. J. Erb, Jr. on Apr. 21, 1953; No. 2,807,514, issued to D. J. Williams on Sept. 24, 1957, No. 2,862,779, issued to C. 0. Hammond on Dec. 2, 1958; No. 3,135,565, issued to R. Bingham on June 2, 1964, and No. 3,336,093 issued to J. J. Phelps on Aug. 15, 1967. Among these several aforenoted patents U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,270,603 and No. 2,452,957, teach the use of a Glauber salt as a humidifying agent and aforenoted U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,329,908 and No. 2,368,140 teach the use of an outer layer of moisture impervious material in conjunction with the moisturized vehicles employed in the packages. However, neither in the above noted patents nor in any other known prior art is the unique packaging structure of the present invention taught or suggested, the present invention recognizing the desirability of maintaining a preselected relative humidity or water activity within the packaging structure over an extended period of time. Equally, the present invention recognizes the importance of accomplishing this balancing of humidification without cigarette spotting, microbial growth or other damage to the packaged article and, at the same time, avoids imparting undesirable and deleterious tastes and odors to the stored tobacco articles.
In accordance with the present invention, a straightforward, comparatively inexpensive to manufacture and assemble packaging structure for tobacco articles is provided which contemplates and provides not only balanced humidification over comparatively extended periods of time but does so without requiring large volumes in packaging and without changing moisture conditions within the package structure for the comparatively extended time periods. Further, the present invention permits the use of various types of space saving moisturizing vehicles in novel geometric configurations without sacrifice of other desirable features of the invention and without deleterious effects to the packaged articles.
Various other features of the present invention will become apparent to one skilled in the art upon reading the disclosure set forth herein.